Good point. According to Specta (Trail administrator for the Paiute) snow can linger on the higher elevations into late June. We've gone in mid to late September and conditions were warm but pretty good.

 

Call911,
That was a great point made, Most of the trails in our area don't open until June 16th, and close Oct 16 so a pretty short riding season,

 

The bad thing about the trails here is that we don't have great scenery like out west. The good news is they never close, except the ones that are also snowmobile trails. Those close to ATVs for a few months.

 

Was exchanging emails with Specta about the Paiute. They've already got some snow in the higher elevations. He said it's looking like a bit crazy weather-wise.

 

The weather has been weird for a while now. Snow in the mountains there, and we had record high temperatures in the low 90s last week, when it should have been high 60s. My only advice is when you go on a trip in the mountains be ready for any weather. From what I've heard the temperatures can vary a lot in a single day especially with changes in elevation.

 

And same with CO high country.

Went to ride Red Cone yesterday and parts of it were impassable. We were able to make it to the top of Red Cone, 12,xxx ft, but on the north side, a lot of snow drifts that block the trail and just would not have been wise to continue forward. That snow is all relatively new. Even Webster Pass, just past Red Cone and much lower was still impassable on the north side.

I was hoping to get in one last high country ride for the year, about a 50-60 mile ride. Had to cut things short and looks like that's it for this year trail riding at high altitude out here.

 

I know this thread is a bit old now but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents about Hatfield McCoy. It's a mistake to think there are no mountains there. Parts of it can be very rugged. The mountains aren't the biggest but in places they are as steep as mountains get where you can still ride up them. I remember one trail that rode the top of a ridge which was about 5'-6' wide with a drop of about 500 foot on either side. You don't want to hit the throttle too hard there but actually it was an easy ride. That part of it was anyway. There's a fairly steep decline on around that trail with one big rock right in the middle that will make you glad you're wearing a helmet in case you land on your nose. There are trails there I wouldn't think of riding because they are too steep. The rangers won't even ride those trails. There are enough trails to keep a person busy for months if they wanted to stay that long. But there's no camping along the trails.

If you want an idea how many trails are involved check out the Devil Anse trail system. It connects two of the older trail systems which means there are many hundreds of miles of trails. There are trails with rivers too. The mountains in the Rockhouse Trail system area are as rugged as anything I've ever seen in the east. And I've coverded thousands of miles of mountain roads in that region. I spent many vacations traveling those hills. Around Rockhouse the main roads are along a deep valley where you have a set of train tracks, the road, maybe enough room for a house and a river. On both sides there are mountains that have very steep grades. It is not just a hilly area. Those are bona fide mountains.

 

While I do appreciate your input, after you have been to and seen the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains don't seem much more than glorified hills.

I am still looking at all my options, but if I'm gonna go big, I would rather have some of the best scenery to have on this trip. I have no doubt Hatfield and McCoy is good. Just looking for better scenery.

It may come down to where I can get a good deal on renting a SXS when I get there also, LOL. My budget may force me into something not as grand as I have hoped.

 

I know what the Rockies look like. And I know the mountains around the Rockhouse Trail system. To think they are hills is just wrong. IMO the scenery is better that the Rockies. You can't ride the tops of the ridges in the really big parts of the Rockies. That makes a difference. Plus the trees make for a more scenic view IMO. I know lots of people that think that way. You should watch some of the videos of the trails. Keep in mind that stuff never loks as steep as it really is when you see it on video. Here's one video. There are many others.

 

I'm not looking to climb the peaks. I have seen several videos of people and their ATV trips to Hatfield and McCoy, and it does look nice. I would like to go there someday and check it out. To some, it may be their idea of the best place to go. Just for me though, the scenery from out west looks much better. This really is personal preference so there is no right or wrong answer, just what looks better to me for my trip is all.

One more thing to keep in mind is that I'm not looking for challenging trails and steep hills here at all. Looking for nice beautiful scenery and trails for riding lots with my family. This is not a trip meant for challenging trails.